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Feb. 14, 1956 c. A. BRACE 2,734,294

' AUTOMATIC IRON REST Filed May 21, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.George/1.511206 ATTORNEY.

Feb. 14, 1956 G. A. BRACE 2,734,294

AUTOMATIC IRON REST Filed May 21, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.Georye/l B race BY I ATTORNEY.

United States Patent AUTOMATIC IRON REST George A. Brace, Highland Park,Ill., assignor to The Hoover Company, North Canton, Olno, a corporationof Ohio Application May 21, 1952, Serial No. 289,157

8 Claims. (Cl. 38-79) This invention relates to electrically heated fiatirons and more particularly to a simple arrangement for supporting theiron with the sole plate free of the supporting surface upon which theiron rests.

Specifically, according to the present invention, aretractablesupporting leg is provided which may be automatically moved to itsextended or supporting position at the will of the operator by a simplemovement of the iron as it is tilted toward its supported position.

According to the present invention the iron is tilted to one side or theother of its longitudinal axis to release a supporting leg which thenpivots by gravity to its iro supporting position.

According to one modification preferred by many right handed users, theiron is inclined to the right as it is being tilted rearwardly. Thispreliminary movement to the right releases the supporting leg whichquickly pivots to its extended iron supporting position.

In a second modification, the iron may be tilted to either side torelease the supporting leg.

The iron is provided with a wide-based fixed support formed by anextension projecting rearwardly of the sole plate proper and a pivotingsupport located in a slot near the toe of iron. The pivoting support ismovable between a retracted non-supporting position and an extendedposition in which it cooperates with the fixed support to support theiron in an inclined rest position with the sole plate free of theironing surface. I

A gravity actuated latch is provided for normally holding the supportingleg in its retracted position, and this latch functions to release theleg merely by inclining the iron sidewise through a small angle when theoperator wishes to support the iron while arranging the material beingironed, or the like.

Accordingly, it is'an object of the invention to provide a sad iron witha simple normally retracted rest which is readily and automaticallyextendable to an iron supporting position merely by a sidewise tiltingof the iron through a predetermined angle.

Another object is the provision of an iron rest having a gravityactuated supporting strut which is released by a gravity actuatedcontrol latch movable in a plane traversing the plane of operation ofthe supporting strut.

Yet another object is the provision of a gravity controlled releasedevice for an extendable iron rest which automatically locks the rest inits retracted position whenever the iron is moved forwardly from itsinclined supported position.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent as the description proceeds when taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a side plan view of the iron of the present invention partlyin section showing one modification;

Figure 2 is a cross sectional view taken on line 22 of Figure 1 showingthe iron tilted to the side to release the rest member proper;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 1 of a modified form of theinvention;

Figure 4 is a detailed view of the latch of the modification of Figure3; and

Figure 5 shows the iron of the present invention as it appears supportedin its inclined rest position with the sole plate out of contact withthe ironing surface. 7

Referring to the drawings, the reference numeral 10 represents the soleplate of the iron of this invention which may be of any suitableconstruction. The sole plate 10 is heated by an electric heater 11 whichmay be of the sheathed rod type as shown.

A cover shell 12 and handle 13 are secured to the sole plate It) in anysuitable manner known to the art. The temperature of the sole plate 10is controlled by a thermostatic switch not shown but of any conventionaldesign, the temperature setting of which may be adjusted by a controldial 14. The cover shell 12 is extended rearwardly of the sole plate 10and is provided with a widebased fixed support 15 having its rear cornerspaced somewhat above the surface of the sole plate, as indicated in thedrawings.

The sole plate 10 is provided with an elongated opening 16 positionedforwardly of the irons center of gravity and equidistantly between thelegs of the U-shaped heating element 11. The supporting leg or strut 17is pivotally supported in opening 16 by means of a pivot pin 18 stakedor otherwise retained in journal notches formed in the sole plate toeither side of the forward end of the strut. It will therefore beapparent that the strut will pivot downwardly out of opening 16 as soonas the toe of the iron is lifted from the ironing surface.

Strut 17 is normally held in its retracted position slightly above thesurface of the sole plate as illustrated in Figure 1 by a gravityactuated control latch 20 freely pivotable on a pin 21 journaled in aseat 22 formed within a downwardly struck portion of cover shell 12. Acammed protuberance 23 projects rearwardly from the face of latch 29 andforms a latching abutment which overlies an extension 27 on the upperforward end of strut 17 to lock the latter in retracted positionnormally.

The protuberance 23 is of triangular formation and has sloping sidewalls or cam surfaces 24 and 25 of the shape indicated for a purposewhich will presently appear. The sides of the lower end 26 ofprotuberance 23 are sloped upwardly, as shown in Figure 2, to form camswhich permit latch 20 to swing back into locking engagement withextension 27 as strut 17 returns to its retracted position. When latch20 is in its normal vertical position, it will be observed that theupper end of guide surface 24 is positioned to one side of extension 27on the strut. In consequence, during the retraction of the strut, thissurface is contacted by the end of extension 27 so that latch 20 ispivoted to one side until the strut is in its retracted position.Thereafter, cam 26 contacts the top of extension 27 and pivots the strutupwardly to a position slightly above the surface of the sole plate asthe gravity actuated latch 20 swings back to its normal position lockingthe strut retracted.

Operation of Figures 1 and 2 Strut 17 is normally held in its retractedposition of Figure 1 by the engagement of extension 27 with the lowerend of protuberance 23. In this position, the iron may be freely movedin any direction or lifted from the ironing surface without releasingthe strut provided the iron is not tilted sidewise beyond the criticalangle required to release the strut. When it is desired to support theiron with the sole plate free of the supporting surface the iron istilted sidewise to the right as the toe is elevated rearwardly about theheel. This sidewise tilting will cause latch20 and integral protuberance23 to pivot on 3 pin 21 to a position to one side of extension 27thereby releasing strut 17 for downward gravity movement to its extendedposition. The operator may then relax her grasp of the handle leavingthe iron supported in the position shown in Figure 5.

When it is desired to return the iron to its ironing position, theoperator grasps the handle and pushes the iron forwardly causing strut17 to pivot rearwardly back into opening 17. As this occurs, the end ofextension 27 contacts cammed surface 24 causing latch to pivot sidewiseuntil arm 27 rides off onto cam 25. The weight of latch 20 together withcam 26 then pivots strut 17 upwardly to a position slightly above thesurface of the sole plate and then locks the strut in this fullyretracted position.

The second embodiment The modification of Figures 3 and 4 issubstantially the same as that of Figures 1 and 2 except that thesupporting leg may be released by the tilting of the iron to either theright or the left. Where the parts are the same, the same referencenumerals have been applied. Gravity latch has a protuberance 31projecting rearwardly therefrom which is symmetrically arranged relativeto the center line of the latch and is provided with the inclinedcamming surfaces 32 and 33 to either side of this center line, asclearly shown in Figure 4. The forward end and sides of arm 27' on strut17 are similarly shaped and, in consequence, cooperate with cams 32 and33 to push latch 30 to one side during the retraction of the strut, aswill be readily apparent.

Operation of second embodiment The operation of the modification ofFigures 3 and 4 is substantially the same as that of the modification ofFigures 1 and 2 except that the iron may be tilted sidewise in eitherdirection to release the strut for movement to the rest position shownin Figure 5 thereby making the iron equally convenient for use by eitherright or left hand operators. As in the first embodiment, when the ironis tilted rearwardly and either to the right or left latch 30 pivots outof latching position permitting strut 17 to move by gravity to itssupporting position shown in Figure 5.

When the iron is moved forwardly, arm 27 will engage either cam face 32or 33 to move latch 30 out of the way. As the sole plate 10 approachesthe supporting surface, either cam edge 34 or 35 of latch 30 will act onarm 27 so as to lift and then lock the strut in its fully retractedposition.

It will be apparent from the foregoing description of two illustrativeembodiments that the principles of the invention may be practiced byvarious other constructions. For example, the gravity controlled latchmay be pivotally supported by the sole plate rather than the cover shellif the maintenance of proper manufacturing tolerances proves troublesomewith the presently described arrangements. Moreover, the control latchneed not be of the pivoted type but may include in lieu thereof a ballor the like operating in a raceway inclined upwardly to one side of thesupporting strut and functioning to release the strut when the iron istilted sidewise beyond a predetermined angle. Various other arrangementswill also suggest themselves to the designer as coming within theinventive concept.

While I have shown but two modifications of my invention, it is to beunderstood that these modifications are to be taken as illustrative onlyand not in a limiting sense. I do not wish to be limited to theparticular structure shown and described but to include all equivalentvariations thereof except as limited by the scope of the claims.

I claim:

1. In a fiat iron, a sole plate having a heel and a toe, an elongatedsupport, pivot means for attaching said support to said soleplateforwardly of the center of gravity 4 of the iron and adjacent one end ofsaid support for movement of said support in a plane normal to saidsoleplate, latching means engageable with said support for normallyholding the latter retracted to a position above the lower surface ofsaid soleplate, and means for mounting said latching means for lateralgravity movement across the top of said soleplate transversely of thecenter line joining said heel and toe so as to move out of engagementwith said support when the iron is tilted to one side, said pivot meansbeing attached to said support in such a manner that the latter willmove by gravity to an extended position below said soleplate forsupporting the same in an inclined rest position upon the release ofsaid support by said latching means.

2. In a flat iron according to claim 1 in which said latching meansincludes means engageable by said support during the movement of thelatter to its retracted position and operable thereby to shift saidlatching means to one side of the path of movement of said support, saidlatching means then being movable by gravity to engage said support andhold it in a retracted position above the surface of said sole plate.

3. In a flat iron, a sole plate having a toe and a heel, a supportingstrut, first pivot means for attaching said strut to said soleplate nearthe forward end of the latter and to one side of the center of gravityof said strut so that the latter tends to pivot by gravity from a normalretracted position above the lower surface of said soleplate to anextended iron supporting position therebelow, a latch, second pivotmeans for attaching said latch to said iron for lateral tilting movementacross the top of said soleplate transversely of the center line joiningsaid heel and toe so as to normally hold said supporting strut in saidretracted position, said second pivot means being constructed to permitmovement of said latch out of locking engagement with said strut by asideward tilting movement of said iron, whereby said iron is supportedwith the toe of said soleplate at a higher elevation than the heel endthereof:

4. The combination with a sad iron having a sole plate provided with aU-shaped electric heating element, a cover shell for said plate, ahandle overlying said shell, said sole plate being formed with a slotextending vertically therethrough near the forward end thereof at apoint spaced equi-distantly between the legs of said U-shaped heatingelement whereby said slot does not interfere with the flow of heat fromsaid heating element to said sole plate, a strut having one endpivotally supported in one end of said slot, said strut being freelypivotable by gravity from a retracted position above the surface of saidsole plate to an extended iron supported position substantially normalto the under side of said plate, and means for normally holding saidstrut retracted, means for movably mounting said holding means withinsaid iron so as to permit movement of said holding means in a pathextending crosswise of said iron and being operable upon the sidewisetilting of said sole plate beyond a predetermined angle to release saidstrut so that the same is free for gravity movement downwardly throughsaid slot to the extended iron supporting position thereof.

5. The combination defined in claim 4 wherein one edge of said strutabuts an end of said slot when said strut is in its extended position sothat said strut is held against return pivotal movement to its retractedposition and supports said iron in a stable inclined rest position untilsaid iron is moved longitudinally in a direction to pivot said strutback into its retracted position within said slot.

6. The combination with an electric sad iron having a sole plate, covershell and handle connected together in superposed relation, of anextendable support means normally concealed within said iron operablewhen extended below said sole plate to support said iron in an inclinedrest position, said support means comprising a pair of gravity actuatedmembers, pivot means for supporting said members within said iron onseparate horizontal axes at right angles to one another, one of saidmembers comprising a strut for supporting said iron in an inclined restposition when pivoted to the extended position thereof below said soleplate, and the other of said members forming a holding means operable toengage said strut member and hold the same retracted when said iron isin its normal horizontal position the pivot means for said holding meanspermitting movement of the latter out of holding engagement with saidstrut when said iron is tilted crosswise of its longitudinal axiswhereby said strut member pivots by gravity to its extended position assaid iron is tilted backward about the rear end thereof.

7. In a flat iron, a sole plate having a toe and a heel, a cover shelloverlying and secured to said soleplate, an extension at the rear end ofsaid cover shell projecting downwardly toward but spaced slightly abovethe surface of said soleplate and forming a fixed support for supportingsaid iron in an inclined rest position, a strut, pivot means forattaching said strut to said soleplate on a horizontal axis extendingtransversely of said soleplate near the toe end thereof, said struthaving a long leg and a relatively short latching arm positioned onopposite sides of said pivot means whereby said strut tends to pivotdownwardly below said soleplate by gravity to a position wherein itcooperates with said fixed support to support said soleplate in saidinclined rest position, a latch means for movably mounting said latch onsaid cover shell for lateral movement across the top of said soleplatetransversely of the center line joining said heel and toe so as toengage said latching arm to hold said strut normally above the lowerface of said soleplate, said mounting means being constructed to permitmovement of said latch crosswise of said soleplate in response to thesidewise tilting of said iron so as to become disengaged from saidlatching arm to permit said strut to pivot downwardly by gravity to itsiron supporting position wherein said iron is supported in an inclinedposition of rest on said strut and on said fixed support with thesoleplate free of the supporting surface.

8. In a fiat iron, a soleplate having a heel and a toe, an elongatedslot formed in said soleplate and extending therethrough, a strut, pivotmeans for attaching said strut to said soleplate adjacent the forwardend thereof so as to lie normally in a retracted position within saidslot, said pivot means being constructed to permit movement of saidstrut by gravity to a position extending downwardly below said soleplateas said iron is tilted to a rearward position, a latching arm extendingforwardly from the pivot point of said strut, latch means, means formovably mounting said latch means on said iron so that said latch meansnormally lies in a latching position overlying said latching arm, saidmounting means being constructed to permit movement of said latch meanslaterally across the top of said soleplate transversely of the centerline joining said heel and toe to a position free of said latching armin response to a sideward tilting movement of the iron.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,149,251 Campana Mar. 7, 1939 2,332,745 OConnor Oct. 26, 1943 2,461,681Cragan Feb. 15, 1949 2,470,532 Thomas May 17, 1949 2,501,549 SwensonMar. 21, 1950 2,582,082 Swenson Jan. 8, 1952 2,668,379 Binggely Feb. 9,1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 50,135 Denmark Apr. 15, 1935

